Electric advertising device.



Patented Dec. 25, |900. P. DAWSON.

ELECTRIC ADVERTISING DEVICE.

(Application led May 24, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 664,801 Patented nee. 25, |900; P DAWSIJN ELECTRIC ADVERTISING DEVICE.

(Application led May 24, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Mogel.)

rilivrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL DAWSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC ADVERTISING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,807, datedDecember 25, 1900.

Serial No. 717,991. (No model.)

To au whom mi may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL DAWSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Advertising Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the aocompanying drawings.

The invention relates to an advertising device for electric-railway cars in which a system of movable tablets within the car are operated by means of an electric current derived from the trolley-wire through the trolley-pole and the invention consists in the specilic construction and arrangement of different parts, whereby I provide a practical, cheap, simple, accurate, and convenient mechanism for the purpose, all as more fully hereinafter described,and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a side elevationv of my device with the actuating mechanism exposed to view. Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective with one side of the casing broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 0c in Fig. l. Fig. 4. is a horizontal cross-section on line y y in Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the upper end of a trolley-pole, showing the circuit-closing device secured thereto on its under side, the pole being reversed to bring the device on top. Fig. 6 is a front view of Fig. 5 in its proper posit-ion. Fig. 7 is a detached perspective view of one of the movable signs.

A is the cabinet inclosing the device.

B is an opening in front of the cabinet through which the tablets or signs are displayed. Y

O represents the tablets, preferably made of thin sheet-aluminium, formed with a strengthening-rib o at the back by doubling over the metal, said rib projecting at the ends to form the flat-pivots c integrally with the body.

D D are two circular metal disks fastened upon a shaft E and forming a revolving drum to which the tablets are pivotally mounted by means of a series of peripheral perforations in the disks D D', into which the pivots of the signs engage. The drum is journaled in bearings in the sides of the cabinet, and to one end of it is secured a worm gear-wheel F, to which intermittent motion is imparted by means of a worm d in the following manner:

Inclosed within a suitable housing G, secured to one side of the cabinet, are two ,electromagnets H, which are intermittently energized through a circuit-closer operated by the movement of the car, as will be more fullyhereinafterdescribed. Below these magnets is supported upon a suitable frame e an armature f, to which is secured a downwardlyextending rack-bar g, held in vertical guidebearings. In front of this rack-bar is journaled a shaft h, upon which is loosely sleeved the pinion t', engaging with the rack-bar. The pinion has an arm j, which carries a dog j', engaging with the ratchet-wheel la, which is fast upon the shaft h and has a spring backstop The shaft hcarries at one end a larger gear-wheel Z, which meshes with a small pinion m upon a shaft n, upon which the Worm d is secured.

Upon the upper end of the trolley-pole on its under side is mounted a housing H, which is provided with a clamping-collaro, by means of which it is fastened upon the trolley-pole. Within this housing (which has a removable cover omitted in Fig. 5) is a circuit-closing device composed of a movable contact-piece p, pivotally mounted upon the pin q, and a ixed spring-contact rr. The movable contact p has secured to it a flexible striker-arm s, formed of a series of thin superimposed spring-leaves and projecting angularly out to one side of the trolley-pole adapted to be struck successively in the movement of the car by a series of fixed arms t, which are adjustably secured upon theusual cross-wires u, which support the trolley-wire I in position over the track in the usual manner. The movable contact p is in permanent electrical contact with the trolley-Wire through the trolley pole and carries an insulating face-piece o, upon whichthe spring-contact 7 normally bears. The spring-contact o" is normally insulated from the housing and forms one terminal of an electric circuit w, which extends to one of the binding-posts of the magnets H II and through said magnets to the other binding-post and thence to the rail in the usual manner through the metallic parts of the car.

IOO

` the drum.

In practice whenever the arm s of the circuit-closer strikes one of the fixed arms t it moves the contact p a sufficient distance to bringit in metallic connection with the springcontact r, and thus closes the electric circuit through the magnets H I-I, which by being energized attract the armaturef. This movenient of the armature is transmitted through the parts described to the worm d, and thereby imparts a stepby-stepmotion to the drum each time the magnets are energized. The motion of the drum revolves the tablets, and with each motion a new tablet is displayed in the sight-opening. To this end the upper portion of the cabinet has a hood-like projection withan inwardly-inclined lower face M. The upper portion of this face M is closed by a ledge J, which arrests the tablets in an upturned position after they have passed over. the top of the drum and releases them only one by one at each step in the motion of The sight opening is formed partly in the face M and partly in the face N below and is large enough to take in two tablets, and as the tablets turn in the opening both sides of each tablet are successively exposed at such angles of sight that both sides may be utilized for advertising purposes.

To prevent the tablets from crowding and jarring each other on the ledge J after they pass over the top of the drum, there is another ledge K farther up near the top of the casing which acts in a similar way to release one tablet at a time.

Having described the construction and operation, I will now point out more particularly the parts to which my invention has i special reference.

The constant jar on acar in motion;7 which jar is especially severe on 'going around curves, makes it very difficult to make a device of this kind that will stand the practical test, and my improvement especially aims to accomplish this. To this end I carry the tablets directly by a revolving drum which has not a particle of lost motion, no matter how severe the jar is, as it is directly driven by a worm, which locks it in position. The tablets are very light and thin, and the seam at the back is flattened down, and the pivot-pin is flattened also. This permits of spacing them almost as closely as the leaves in a book, so that a large number may be carried on the drum without making it too bulky or heavy or hard to turn, while at the same time the two tablets which are in the sight-opening appear to be conti nuous, and th us the two faces can be utilized for a continuous advertisement, giving thus double the space of one.

drum--that is, in planes which coincide with the two tablets displayed in the sight-opening-the light can fall directly upon the tablets and passengers from their seats can plainly read any advertisements thereon.

The drive mechanism is very simple and reliable. The distance between the teeth of the ratchet is made less than the distance which the dog travels. There will therefore be a lost motion before the dog engages a tooth on the ratchet, which permits the armature to start freely when attracted bythe magnet, and it does its work after it has acquired some momentum. To assist the operation of the magnet still further, I secure two short iron guide-pins z to the frame, which project into close proximity to the poles of the magnet and pass through holes in the armature, so as to guide it in its movement. Whenever the magnets are energized, these guide-pins form' a short path for the magnetic lines of force from the poles to the armature, and thereby materially increase the magnetic force of attraction between the poles and the armature when they are separated. I also cover the armature with a thin film of copper beneath the poles of the magnet to prevent the armature from sticking.

The circuit-closer is well protected from any injury, and the housing hugs the pole closely and has inclines ct at both ends, so that it cannot catch on the cross-wires if the trolley should fly olf. The striker-arm is so elastic that it cannot take injury from striking against the hangers t or the trolley-wire.

In practice while I have described my device as for advertising purposes it may be used as a street-indicator-that is to say, I propose to carry tablets which in proper sequence follow between the advertising-tablets and indicate the name of the street which the car approaches, while the other tablets may advertise the merchants doing business along the line the car travels.

What I claim as my'invention isl. In an electric advertising device,the combination of'a revolving drum, a series of tablets pivotally secured to the drum at its outer periphery, an inclosing outer casing formed IOO IOS

IIOV Y with the inwardly-inclined faces M, N, the v sight-opening B in said faces, the ledge J above said sight-opening, the ledge K in the rear of the aforesaid ledge, an actuating device for imparting a step-by-step motion to the drum, comprising a pair of magnets H carrying a rack-bar c the shaft h, and pinion t' thereon engaging with said rack-bar, the gear-wheel l, and ratchet k on the shafth, the dog j carried by the pinion "i, the shaft a, the pinion m on said shaft engaging with the gearwheelrl, the Worm CZ on the shaft 'n and the worm-gearF on one end of the drum engaging with the worm d.

2. In an electric advertising device,the combination of a revolving drum composed of two heads or disks, formed with perforations near theirvperiphery and fastened upon a shaft,

and a series of flexible tablets pivotally secured in the perforations in the heads of said drum, said tablets being struck up from a blank of thin sheet metal and having one of its edges reinforced by doubling the metal back upon itself, said reinforced portion projecting beyond the opposite ends of said blank and forming flattened pivots therefor Whereby any one of said tablets may be mounted or dismounted from the drum by slightly Hexing them.

3. In an advertising device,the combination of a revolving drum, composed of two heads or disks, formed with perforations near their periphery andfastened upon a shaft, a series of fiexible tablets pivotally secu red in the perforations in the heads of said drum, and an outer inclosing casing formed with a sightopening in front of the drum and exposing a portion thereof, through which the tablets may be independently removed or inserted in the drum, said tablets being made of thin sheet metal with the pivots integrally formed therewith by doubling the metal back upon itself to form attened pivots.

4. In an electric advertising device, the combination With the revolving drum carrying the tablets, of the magnets H, means for intermittently energizing the same, the armature f supported below the magnets, the rackbar g attached to said armature, the shaft h and loose pinion t' thereon engaging with the rack-bar, the gear-wheel Z and ratchet k on the shaft h, the dogj/ carried by the pinion t' the shaft n, the pinion m on said shaft engaging with the gear-wheel l, the Worm d on the shaft n and the Worm-gear F at one end of the drum engaging with the Worm d.

In testimony' whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

PAUL DAWSON.

Witnesses:

OTTO F. BARTHEL, V. D. KINNER. 

